The subject matter described herein relates to cooling systems, such as cooling systems for engines.
Known vehicles include cooling systems that reduce temperatures of engines in the vehicles to prevent the engines from overheating. For example, rail vehicles such as diesel engine locomotives and other vehicles may include cooling systems that cool the engines when the engines are operating to move the vehicles. Some known cooling systems include tanks that hold a liquid coolant and radiators that are fluidly coupled with the tanks. For example, radiators of a diesel engine may be coupled with a tank by one or more hoses.
In order to cool the engine, the coolant is pumped from the tank, by or through the engine, and to the radiator. More specifically, from the tank, the coolant flows by or through the engine, where thermal energy generated by the engine is transferred to the coolant. In certain operational modes, the coolant is passed to the radiator, where thermal energy of the coolant is transferred to ambient (e.g., air passing through the radiator). The coolant may return to the tank. Due to changing temperatures, degradation, and other causes, one or more components and/or interfaces of the cooling system can be damaged. For example, hoses can crack and seals between the hoses and the tank or radiator can be compromised by freezing and thawing of coolant. The cracks and/or compromised seals may allow coolant to leak from the cooling system and not flow through the cooling system to cool the engine.
In some know locomotives, the cooling system is tested for leaks using a “squeeze test.” During the squeeze test, an operator opens a vent to the radiators of the cooling system and fills the radiators and cooling system with more coolant. The operator closes the vent, and the cooling system is activated to pump the coolant throughout the cooling system. The operator then visually inspects for leaks around or below the cooling system.
The vents used by the operators to fill the cooling system with coolant are not easily accessible. The vents may be located above the radiators at the top of the locomotive cab, which can be four meters high or higher. As a result, the operator may need to be lifted above the locomotive by a crane or other device to reach the vent. As not all repair stations for locomotives have such cranes, some repair stations may be unable to perform the squeeze test to check for leaks in the cooling system. Moreover, lifting and lowering the operator takes additional time.
It may be desirable to have a cooling system and a method for providing a cooling system for an engine that more easily accessible by operators and/or reduces the time required to inspect for leaks of the cooling system.